


Into the Void

by breemeup



Series: Mass Effect Femslash Week [1]
Category: Mass Effect
Genre: Angst, F/F, Femslash, Mass Effect Femslash Week, SO MUCH SADNESS, Sadness, shiara
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-25
Updated: 2016-01-25
Packaged: 2018-05-16 05:59:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,124
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5816806
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/breemeup/pseuds/breemeup
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A re-imagining of the events at the beginning of Mass Effect 2. My contribution to Mass Effect femslash week.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Into the Void

**Author's Note:**

> I'm sorry. 
> 
> Read while listening to "I was Lost Without You" for Maximum Pain. 
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OQeFvUuPNHc

 

The first explosion woke Liara with a start.

 

“What about Shepard?” Liara asked Joker as he gave up trying to pilot the quickly deteriorating Normandy, “Where is she?”

 

Joker shook his head as the ship shook from the fire they were taking, “I can't get a hold of her, communications are down”.

 

“Has she left her cabin?”

 

“Haven't seen her around,” the Normandy shook again, “Now, we don't exactly have time to chat, get yourself to the shuttle, T'soni”.

 

“Not without Shepard,” She turned and ran towards the elevator.

 

“Damn it, Liara!” Joker yelled after her.

 

Halfway to the elevator, the artificial gravity gave out and Liara found herself floating towards the ceiling of the Normandy. She cursed in Asari and attempted to propel herself forward as the navigation crew floated around her, “Get to the shuttle!” She yelled and one of the crew members nodded, repeating the orders to the rest of the crew. The ship shook and the beam nearest to her fell, separating her from them. She heard screams, but Liara didn't have the heart or the time to turn back and see if they had made it. Liara reached up and pushed off the ceiling, trying to get close enough to the elevator to open the doors. The doors opened but the elevator itself wouldn't run, so Liara opened the hatch at the top of the elevator and propelled herself through the elevator shaft. The commander was at the top level, so she grabbed onto the beam holding the elevator and pulled herself up, pushing the emergency button to open the door to the first level.

 

And then finally, at last, she reached the commander's cabin and forced the locked door open.

 

Liara looked up and gasped. Her commander was in front of her, eyes shut, red hair floating around her as if they'd dived into the clearest of oceans together. Shepard's freckles were like the stars she used to count as a child on the Asari homeworld and her parted lips reminded her of all times those lips had opened and let out a laught at something Liara would say. The Normandy gave another jerk and Liara was jolted back to her senses. She didn't have time to float here contemplating Shepard's face. She needed to protect her, to bring her to safety.

 

“Shepard!” She yelled, using the walls of Shepard's cabin to propel herself forward, “Shepard, you need to wake up!” Liara didn't let herself think of the worst, of a universe cold and devoid of the woman she'd come to admire, no- love. Shepard had to be breathing, she had to _live._ She reached out and grabbed Shepard's shoulders, “Jane!” Liara said Shepard's first name for the first time, “Wake up!”. She shook Shepard and the two of them turned, floating upside down.

 

“L-Liara,” Shepard opened her eyes slowly, blinking as the she and Liara continued to spin. “What happened?” Liara felt her breath catch at their nearness.

 

“Ja-Commander,” She corrected herself, “The ship is under attack, we don't know who or why, but the Normandy is falling apart and we need to get you to the shuttle now!”

 

“No,” Shepard's eyes flashed with a grim determination, she'd lost too many of those under her command, she wasn't about to let that happen again.

 

“Shepard!” Liara pleaded, “We need to go now!”

 

“Not until the rest of the crew is safe,” Shepard put her hand on Liara's shoulder as the two of them continued to turn, “Thank you for your concern, Dr. T'soni”. Liara opened her mouth to protest but she knew it was useless.

 

“Yes, Commander,” She nodded, “We'll make sure the crew is safe, together”.

 

“Liara, no,” Shepard started.

 

“Yes,” Liara cut her off, “We don't have time to argue, we need to go”. She let go of Shepard's shoulders and reached for the nearest surface off of which she could push herself, “We need to make sure everyone's safe”.

 

“Let's start with checking the bridge,” Shepard nodded, following Liara's lead and pushing herself towards the doorway. The two of them made their way out of the cabin.

 

“The elevator's down,” Liara said, “we have to go down the shaft”. Shepard nodded at this and they both entered the shaft.

 

Once they reached the second level, they entered the elevator and and propelled themselves out onto the second level. The area surrounding the galaxy map was empty, so they moved forward.

 

The Normandy shook again, and Liara reached instinctively for Shepard's hand. Shepard took it without saying a word and the continued, moving towards the bridge.

 

“There!” Liara pointed to the bridge. A man was floating, clearly unconcious- or worse.

 

“Pressly!” Shepard called out, pushing herself forward, Liara following suit, “Pressly!” She reached Pressly's inert figure and felt for a pulse. She shook her head and Liara looked down. She'd lost crewmembers before, but this felt different. Her friends had died in battle, but Pressly had been the defenseless victim of an ambush, something that she should have been able to prevent.

 

“Shepard,” Liara put her hand on Shepard's shoulder as if sensing her thoughts, “It's not your fault”.

 

“Let's go,” she moved forward, “Where's Joker?”

 

“Still in the cockpit,” Liara followed, “Let's get him”.

 

“Wait,” Shepard shook her head, “We need to make sure the shuttles are functioning properly. You go, I'll grab Joker”. Liara nodded and turned.

 

“See you soon, Shepard,” she whispered and moved towards the shuttles, narrowly avoiding a nearby explosion. When she reached the shuttles, she saw that everyone except for one had been deployed. She was about to return to help Shepard when she heard her behind her.

 

“Shepard!” she turned to see Shepard holding Joker in her arms.

 

“Take him,” Shepard handed Joker to Liara, pushing them both into the shuttle. Liara set Joker down, strapping him in.

 

“Shepard!” Liara reached out to pull her in, but another explosion rocked the Normandy, sending Shepard flying, out of the Normandy, out into space. “Shepard!” Liara made as if to exit the shuttle and go after Shepard, but Joker grabbed her.

 

“She's gone,” He said somberly.

 

“No!” Liara protested, “I can still get her!”

 

“Look, Liara,” Liara looked out at the Normandy. Shepard was floating what seemed like light-years away, her oxygen tank clearly damaged, her body sillhoueted against the stars, “It's too late”.

 

Liara nodded and pushed the button to close the shuttle, sending them off.

 

She stood at the window, watching Shepard serenely drift off into eternity, the peacefulness of the scene at odds with the chaos of the burning Normandy. The shuttle drifted farther and farther from Shepard until she was completely lost to the stars, her body no longer visible.

 

“Shepard,” Liara whispered. Shepard was gone.


End file.
